Newsletter

Plans moving ahead for Pulaski Creek greenway

Athens-Clarke County is starting work this fall on a new Pulaski Creek greenway.

The trail is planned to run along Pulaski Creek from the CSX Transportation railroad to Denny Tower downtown, with spurs connecting it to Pulaski Street near the railroad crossing and the Athens Community Council on Aging on College Avenue.

“This will be a nice place for (seniors) to take an easy walk,” Leisure Services Director Pam Reidy said.

CSX has not yet signed off on plans to build on its property, but officials said they’re confident the company will finalize an agreement soon.

However, Norfolk Southern Railroad has been less cooperative. A planned second phase that would connect the Pulaski Creek Greenway to the North Oconee River Greenway on College Avenue by building on Norfolk Southern-owned property is on hold, Reidy said.

The project’s $1 million budget, funded by a 2005 round of voter-approved sales taxes, is not enough to build the second phase anyway, Reidy said. More funding will be needed to finish the greenway, she said.

When completed, the greenway will connect the Newtown, Boulevard and Pulaski Heights neighborhoods with Bethel Homes, the Council on Aging, the Lyndon House Arts Center and Thomas Lay Park. There isn’t a way to cross Pulaski Creek now between Cleveland Avenue and Dougherty Street a half-mile apart.

Amenities could include rest areas, a playground, a disc golf course and restrooms, depending on how much funding is available. Trail users will have access to a lawn and picnic tables at the Council on Aging.

Part of the funding is also designated for cleaning up Pulaski Creek.

Officials said they’ll put the project out for bid this fall, assuming the Athens-Clarke Commission approves the plans. It will take six months to build.